I ordered one during the Labor Day sale, a little bit of work on the fret ends, oil on the fretboard and a setup (which I always do on all my bass purchases) and it is a great bass. Worth twice the price easily.
You must have got a better one. Mine required a lot of adjustments to even be playable, and even then, it still frets out at the 14th fret. You can't even play it up there.
Same here on mine. I’m not complaining though, it was shipped from California to Florida in August heat. It absolutely needed the extra work. I also ordered a set of custom shop 60s pups also on Labor Day sale price for $139, and I’m very happy with a cost still under $400
Lobster, really enjoy watching your videos. One suggestion I would like you to consider is to spend more time discussing how the bass feels to you qualitatively. I can tell right away when I pick a bass up if it plays dead, if something is off. All these other details like pups, bridges, etc, are fixable. Glad to see you are back, thanks!
Happy to have you back, Lobster! Would definitely like to see a comparison between this and the paranormal. I especially love when you review cheaper basses and that you're very honest about them. I would love to hear your thoughts about the new Harley Bentons MV-4JB and JB-62CC, and a comparison between those two would be great.
I just picked one of these up used from a brick and mortar shop nearby where they service the stuff they buy from people. I’m glad they did because they made it the best playing Jazz Bass in the shop. I’m very lucky that way, because one tort guard later and I have my dream color bass.
I remember the Squier Vinatge Modified jazz basses from the mid-to-late 2000’s. They were about $350 retail back in that time, and were absolutely incredible basses for the price.
A lot of people made the mistake of swapping out the pickups on those earlier models. The 'Duncan Design' stock pickups were awesome pickups. And now they are hard to find as a used set.
@@LowEndLobster Lobster,...the Squier Deluxe active basses were the best in my opinion,....I believe they even used a dummy coil. I have one in black that has that ebinol fingerboard and an Audere-like pre-amp....You should preview one of those if you ever get your hands on one. I got mine for a steal off eBay. The term 'B-stock' is a bass purchaser's friend,.....I've gotten plenty of great deals that way.
I got one during that sale because I currently have only Jaguars. Definitely needed some love out of the box. It is an Indian Laurel fingerboard btw.. and VERY DRY, I agree
A few moths back someone asked on Talkbass who had the best bass reviews on RUclips, I tagged and mentioned you saying the only exception was your demo didnt show any pick playing but no else really does either. Its always just over top flashing slapping, but being a pick player I don't get to see many videos that show how the bass would sound the way I use it. A couple of your vids later and you started working in using a pick. Thanks, don't know if you saw my comment and decided to work it in because of that but either way I'm loving these demos being able to hear what the basses sound like with a pick.
Thanks TC! I remember that and yes, your comment and others did prompt me to pick up the pick in subsequent videos (and all of em moving forwards). It was a great suggestion, thank you! It's been a great added dimension to my videos, and gives me new perspective when revisiting other basses that I've already reviewed.
Not bad sounding at all for $250 but would make a good mod bass. I have a J bass clone (not a Squier) I put in Aguilar AG 4J-HC humbuckers, Audere pre-amp, badass style high mass bridge and Hipshot tuners. Now it's an awesome bass. Thanks Lobster!
Good review. I bought one on sale and it came with a huge ding it since it's packed without much protection. When the replacement came a month later, the string action was like yours. Had to crank the truss rod and really heighten the bridge saddles to get any sort of playable action.
Proaudiostar has open box white for $200. I ordered one before I came across this video, good thing I like projects. Now I have to watch the upgrade videos and pick up some hardware.
Hi lobster, nice to see you back, the Harley Benton vintage series at $150.00 was great out of the box, no sharp frets, very very little neck adjustment needed, and sounds just as good as say the sire v5, after a string change to me, cause I also have a V7 vintage, so the tones aren't too far off, and the Harley Benton pups are Hot too
I am a Fender and Squier bass owner over many years. My Squier 50s bass cost me more money to fix mistakes or bad quality in the past. Shame on Fender. They can't put their name on a product and not take responsibility for basic quality.
Yeah bought a squier late 50s P, and I had to send two instruments back, and the third stayed because I got tired of the situation. Non existent qc from squier nowadays... It's a shot on the foot because we have great budget instruments like Sire or Harley Benton to choose from
I’ve found that they love to put their name on any piece of crap accessory just to make a couple bucks. Like guitar stands and gig bags. They’re a corporate giant that seems to not care about quality control.
Technically, Fender did not put their name on it. They put the Squier name which they purchased onto it. 😂 I don’t blame them for not wanting to call it a Fender. Hahaha. Seriously though, they can do better for $400. For $250, it’s about what I would expect.
Ahh! Your back , I thought maybe would have left you pick in Italia . I almost thought of this one , its supposed to be a classic vibe but seems to have the heart of a Affinity?
I bought a Squier Classic Vibe 60 P bass in white last week and as far as I can tell it's perfect. Plays really well. Zero sharp frets or fret sprout. Looks great. Sounds great. The 70s Classic Vibe Jazz I tried was all over the place. The neck was like a banana (although this is more a reflection on the shop) and the finishing was awful.
I bought one of these as well on LB and the QC was horrendous. Quite a few others in the Facebook Squier bass group bought one with differencing results. My strings were so high on the neck, I could have limboed under them. One pattern we did find was pretty much all of us that had really bad QC/set-up were stamped as having the QC done by "BOY", while everyone with decent set-up had a different name. "BOY" must be Fender code for "We're not doing any QC on this one..." Right now it is sitting in a spare bedroom as a winter project. Fortunately that same month I got a Paranormal Jazz (agree with you on the pick-ups, but overall a well built bass), a used Tagima TW66 ($160), and a Squier Contemporary Jazz bass in Shoreline Gold with a roasted maple neck. Have you tried the later? Definitely feels like a step up from the previously versions of the Contemporary, which felt a bit cheap and rough around the edges to me. ProAduioStar is currently selling them for $240 (they say used, but they are new - PAS are notorious for buying a high volume of Fender/Squires and then advertising some of them as used to get past that minimum pricing agreement). A great place to pick up a bargain, but you don't get the 55 point set-up or bag of candy. They currently have a lot of CVs for sale between $230-$280.
Yup! Hehe, this one is not long for my stable. Just gotta film the Harley Benton MV-4JB Comparo and this puppy is gone! I definitely want to try out some of the older/cooler Squiers.
Honestly mine came like yours maybe even a little worse as it was damaged. A call to fender I got 50 bucks back. Same as you I did a lot of set up work fixed a bad solder joint and leveled the frets, filed the sharp ends, engaged the trussrod which wasn’t even touched. It now plays and sounds fantastic. BUT if you are not comfortable doing work to this bass when you get it then it should be a hard pass. For me I really like the bass now that it’s been straightened out. Nice review Wil.
Mine required some work to it but I kinda expected that at the price point. After adjusting the truss rod straight, filing & polishing the frets, conditioning the fretboard& setting up bridge I was happy. I got this as a mod platform and have already installed a Fender HiMass bridge and some Ultra Vintage pickups I got on the cheap are on the way. Also changed out the dime pots and made a harness with cts 250k's and a .047uf pio I had sitting around. While this might not be a great first bass for a student it could be a great learning platform for a budding tech.
Hey Butch here, yep, Squier, ugh. I've owned 4 Squier's and they've all had problems. I have 2 remaining but I won't buy another one, and I'm sure I'll sell these. The last one I bought was a Squier Affinity Jazz, the neck was not bad as this one, but the fret ends were a mess, one tuner binds, and very noisy. I shielded the cavities, replaced the pickups, pots, and bridge. So, I did basically what you described in another video, "polished a turd". These parts are coming out and I'm selling it. Tom Brantley Geddy Lee pickups are too nice for this bass, but would be great in a Sire V5!
I recently bought a "classic vibe 60s jazz bass" made in Indonesia for about $300 and had no problems other than the 1/8 turn neck adjustment required immediately after I bought it.
Good to see you back, Lobster. If you do a comparison with the Paranormal, consider including the Sire V5. Got mine earlier this summer for $398 + $68 shipping from Thomann. Feels like a $700 bass at least.
Mine is fine. The fret ends need a minor touch, but the neck has just the right relief and the intonation is almost there, right out of the box. Other than putting Fender flats on it, I haven't tweaked anything.
Great to see you back Lobster! Yesterday I was listening to a comparison between the Squier Affinity and a Fender Jazz bass and was surprised about the tone quality of the first. So was curious about build quality and quality control of Squier. Maybe the Affinity is even better than this one, otherwise I guess the other options you mention would be wiser.
Glad to see you back and in good health! It's a shame that Squire basses have lost their quality over the years. Nowadays there are so many equally priced new/used basses (even jazz basses) that are so much better. Only squire I've ever owned was an older fretless Jaco-esque jazz, but it came with Seymour Duncan's and was decent for the price at the time. When I want to play a jazz bass I reach for my custom Bacchus (they also have some lower priced jazz basses in their Woodline series that will outdo any Squire) My American made jazz just lives on the stand 😭
Another great review! Thanks Lobster. How do you compare this model against the regular Squire classic vibe 60’s both from tone and quality perspectives?
I own 3 Squier basses and 2 Squier telecaster guitars, all priced from like 450 down to 200 us dollars and they all need work! some of the more expensive ones need more work than some of the cheaper ones, but that’s fender Squier for you.. I don’t mind because I do the work myself and I don’t have to spend two grand on one instrument, so I just deal with it. I’ll evaluate it first and if it’s really bad I’ll just send it back but if it’s just a couple hours of TLC or whatever I’ll just deal with it; it just depends on how I feel about the thing and if I really want it lol
The one I received definitely was not as bad as the one that you got but it did require some fret touch up. Not for fret sprout but I had a couple of high frets I needed to spot level. I've since upgraded it with a fender kluson high mass bridge as well as a set of the early Duncan designed pickups from the Squire vintage modern jazz basaes. I also added a set of import tuners that are like the Grover tuners and have the adjustable tension probably the same exact tuner as the Grover just without the brand name. One nice thing about those tuners is three of the existing screw holes line up so you don't have to drill another hole unless you want to use all four screws. I'm only using three on mine and they've been fine. The sickness of the neck I find to be a bit chunky but it is still very playable. I'd often wondered about the price on these when they had them on special only for a limited time and a lot of buyers seem to have had issues here and there so I am wondering if these were instruments that never passed the full QC or if they might have in fact been customer returns that were sent back to Fender. Either way after a little work it's turned out to be a pretty decent bass overall. I've always been a P bass guy But you also need a jazz this one allows me to cover that without having to shell out an arm and a leg. After the upgrades I've done I'm not ashamed to take this on any stage and play the heck out of it.
@@LowEndLobster I’m just a little up the road in Portland, Maine. I’ve got a few you haven’t reviewed, Dean 35 inch fretted and Fretless 6 string, Godin A4 Fretless year 2000, Dean Edge Fretless 4 string. But, yes… the 40th Anniversary I would put on par, or even better than the Mexican Fenders. All I need now are the Les Claypool Pachyderm P-Bass EMGs to keep with the gold theme 😎
I got a five sting CV 70’s jazz bass like a week ago and holy shit I wish I watched this video before I did because it literally has every issue you had with yours. I could’ve probably flown a plane underneath the strings with how high the action was. I still have to sort out two high frets but I got it to a point where it’s playing very nice.
I got one of those, desert dry fingerboard and truss rod issues, but with better frets - no filing needed, luckily. This is a FSR product, so I theorize these were B stock, overstock returns, or were just sitting in the warehouses for a while and Fender just sold them as-is.
I like Squiers to modify and fk with. Two of my best playing basses are modified Squier fk-casters. One of my worst playing basses (unplayable) is also a Squier. Great video, as always!
I did not pull the trigger on one of these, but really thought about it. With these coming direct from Fender, the QC/ set up issues seem to point out the value of having a good retailer that will do their own checks before shipping. Going forward it will be interesting to see how much Fender chooses to sell direct, how much of that will be exclusive FSR's like this, and if they up their QC game on direct sales. This may have been a first shot fired in a new online sales war
Hey Lobster. That seems to be a pretty decent starter bass, if you got one where the qc issues were taken care of. But as a starter with bad qc. Not a good deal with the current other offerings in the same price range. Except the flip-ability to resell it. Thanks for your honesty. It's much appreciated. For me, veteran bass player... It would be a no go purchase. I'd rather invest in a higher quality instrument with a possible better return on investment like a Cort, HB, Sire or Ibanez.
I’m an avid watcher of your videos Lobster... I’d really like to see you do a video on Michael Kelly basses as they seem to be growing in popularity but very little reviews are out there for the brand...
I just bought a "player plus" jazz bass from GC they had a great sale on. Beautiful blue burst top, sounded great but same issues. Lousy fret work at the ends and about 400 yards of space between the strings and fretboard. That was a $700 instrument.
The player series is very good, possibly the best bang for buck basses in the Fender catalogue but the player plus models are not in the same league. Just an excuse to add $150 to the price.
I own 3 Fenders and a 89/90 MIK Squire. Aside from the MIJ Fenders, there are several other brands building superior basses at every price point these days.
Sure, it needed work, but I really like the way the sixties spacing sounds… At $430, it doesn’t make much sense, but that labour day sale would make it a great project bass from my perspective. FYI, you can often fix those tuners by bending the leaf spring under the worm shaft to take up the slack in the gearing.
I thought about getting one of these during the labor day sale, but opted for the 70s Classic Vibe P Bass. It honestly sounds and feels really good. However, I am replacing the pots and pickups, and bridge.
I know this was a limited run but I wonder if the pickups in this are the same as the normal classic vibe 60s Squier jazz basses? Sounds really nice and the tone is making me consider one👌
It is all or nothing with these, had one which was horrible, even the bridge pickup was broken. Got a new one and it’s spot on. Great setup, frets are okay only the fretboard is dry. Glad to see you again great bass reviews.
Good to see the lobster back 🙂 Ah, Squiers... I've developed a love/hate thing with those ! They do look good, and sound good, generally. But the QC (and, more often than not, the tunings), can really be godawful, yes. I don't mind if they need a bit of setting up out of the box. But redoing all the frets is absolutely unacceptable in my view. Normally I'd just call them garbage. But I see their potential and so that's very irritating.
Welcome back Lobster! Thanks for the review. Too bad about the QC despite the price jump from initial sale. I, along with many others I am sure, look forward to your review of one of Fender’s gems: the US made Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. To begin with, I know that you are not crazy about the vintage style truss rod access (or no access depending how you look at it…). But what about the pick ups? And of course, tone! Is it worth putting up with the huge truss rod inconvenience for presumably better /distinct tone than your regular US made Jazz bass? Cheers!
Thanks Dave. I absolutely agree. For budget instruments, one should at least expect some level of minor tweaking to get it playing best.... but to have a bass require this much work out of the box would be a major deal breaker for beginners.
Greetings from Germany, Like your channel. Hey, I bought the black bass, At fender, the 62 that you rated here. Greetings from Germany. In the black sale, for 300 €, instead of 450. Play two jazz basses, a low budget, SX bass and a 78 original Fender Jazz bass. I couldn't resist. The UPS messenger over the package, which was torn on the corner. I accepted it anyway. He was not so well packed now, came from the Netherlands and then to me in Germany. Nevertheless, refuse acceptance or not, but felt everything okay. The bass was very cold, also a cold day. Brought the boy into the warm, then tested and yes, snore it here and there. Although I don't know so much now, I've made a few settings and I'm very satisfied The frets on the sides, very good, string location too.😅 The new strings also always sound ting, don't like new strings . A first conclusion, sounds very good about my Mark combo, not as good as my old Fender, but I also modified it with baseline pick-ups. But better than the Sx. And super light. But I am highly satisfied, and for the money I have saved, I may exchange a few things again. Clear purchase recommendation.
Too bad that Squier has been neglecting the quality on their more affordable basses lately. I’ll ALWAYS regret not buying the mid 2000’s Squier Vintage modified jazz bass (with the Duncan designed pickups). I not longer live in the US so finding one of those in the used market is virtually impossible. To give you an idea of how is the market here: It took me a whole year to pay the installment plan for a meh Ibanez jumpstar bass pack.
Great so see you again...great video and again...Shame Fender .it doesn't matter how much you spend in a instrument...it must come playable..that what I think about...thank you lobster 🤗🤗
I just got a new B stock CV 50s P bass for $279 on Reverb. I agree with you, this thing was terrible. If I had paid full price I would have sent it back in a heartbeat. Even the fret glue was coming out on the sides of the frets.
Love you Lobster but this bass really deserved one claw if that! If everything was unfabulous except for the pickups and it needed tons of work to get it off the ground ,the instrument speaks for itself.
Thanks JC! I have an even worse J to review that will put this one into perspective. It's already filmed and coming soon... This Squier, after all the work, is ok. It sounds nice, plays ok, but just needed a LOT more work than I'd expect. The next budget J we'll be reviewing is even worse.... it's so bad lol. It'll be a fun video!
I had to do alot of setting up on my vintage brand P bass like this one, It got better reviews than a squire I think mostly because the frets are phyiscally wider than a squire. After i put some fender custom shop '64 pickups and a high mass bridge it should be pretty nice. I got it lightly used and 1year old for 350$
My labor day special pickup screws were stripped right out of the box. And all the shavings from those ruined phillips screws remain magnetized to the instrument to maybe scratch the finish. You should suggest a few of those 'better offerings' in the budget market. Who makes a better $250 bass and why? thanks
Thanks Ed! Bummer to hear about your experience. We have one of those new Harley Benton MV-4JB basses coming with the Gotoh tuners, Wilkinson bridge, and roasted maple neck. I have high hopes for that.
Hello LB. Thanks to you, I now own a red P5 from sire. Best decision ever! Love it! I will change the bridge for a Albridge as you did. One question though, what about the Dimarzio dp122cr? Any thought? Again thank you for your great and very honest content!
Hey David! Awesome, congrats on the bass! I haven't used the Model P, only the Split P, Relentless P, and the Sixties P pickups from DiMarzio. TBH, I really like their pickups and how each one is drastically different from the others. I've found the "Model" types to be a lot more modern sounding and not so much you're typical vintage sound.
I had similar issues with the Squier CV 70s (sharp frets etc) when I was looking for a Jazz Bass. I had a Sire V5 here to compare, and while I preferred the Squier pickups (a bit beefier), overall the Sire was so much better in pretty much every other aspect. Just a a tiny bit of neck adjustment, and I had an instrument that I liked to play. The Squier went back. I’m still thinking about replacing the pickups on the Sire, except I know nothing about how to chose them. So if anyone here has suggestions for a pair of pickups that don’t cost an arm and a leg and give me a bit more beef/growl than the stock Sire’s, go ahead! ;)
Neck and fret issues have plagued Squier for a very long time, it's a shame because that bass does sound really good. I think that if they're going to cut corners somewhere it should be in the electronics and get the construction and qc right. Doesn't matter how good an instrument sounds if it is not comfortable to play, the electronics are easy to replace and would be well worth it in a bass that is solid and playable.
Regarding the noise when you take your hand off the strings, is that something that can be remedied by shielding, or is it just a byproduct of cheap pickups? I just got a Jackson JS1M that does the same thing. It just has a single spilt coil pickup.
Great question Ryan. It can be remedied with shielding (and grounding the poles on the pickups too). Also making sure your shield is connected to ground will help.
I would say it'd be pretty easy if you have access to a router or someone with know-how. There's plenty of J pickguards with P pickup routes, you'd just need to route the pickup cavity
The tone sounds great - too bad it wasn't setup at the factory - it was built and shipped ... price was great though - they are way more expensive now.
It just occurred to me that when we click the 'Like' your hand turn back to 'normal' however; in order to rate basses your hand turns back to a claw. So how do you, umm, play bass amongst other things between videos? You seem to be getting along just fine, I'm not worried, just concerned. Excuse me if I'm prying.
I got the same bass. Yep, the setup was atrocious. Action was high, truss rod not remotely adjusted correctly. I adjusted a bit, but on the 14th fret the notes still fret out. It's unplayable there. The pickups do sound pretty nice, so that's a good point. Had I paid full price, I'd be pissed. But for 50% off, it wasn't a bad deal. It needs work right out of the box. And mine still needs a fret job.
It looks good and sounds good but too bad it has such poor quality control. I think it's hard to beat Harley Benton for inexpensive Basses... I see you recovered...
Thanks BP! I agree. I have one of those new Gotoh jazz basses en route. I have recovered! This was filmed before my trip, but I am back and feeling a lot better :)
Try a Jay Turser vintage jazz bass,....they have the best neck ever,.....and the electronics are very decent. Harley Benton jazz basses are very nice also.
This has been my experience with fenders and squiers from the last couple years. Terrible qc and questionable assembly. I played a $1k guitar and it felt worse than my bronco.
Sounds like this bass skipped some production departments on it's way to the packaging room......terrible QC,.....no wonder they were giving them away around Labor Day.
Way to harsh of a review. I have one, I setup all my basses after shipping anywhere and my frets were fantastic. I love mine and take it and my number one bass to all of my gigs leaving my 2500 plus basses at home. QC on yours was terrible that’s it. That is better than any MIM I’ve ever played. I think they knew who they were sending it too. ;) I paid 439. USD
good to see you again lobster !
Thank you! :)
@@LowEndLobster Let me 2nd that emotion. Glad you made it back home.
I ordered one during the Labor Day sale, a little bit of work on the fret ends, oil on the fretboard and a setup (which I always do on all my bass purchases) and it is a great bass. Worth twice the price easily.
You must have got a better one. Mine required a lot of adjustments to even be playable, and even then, it still frets out at the 14th fret. You can't even play it up there.
Same here on mine. I’m not complaining though, it was shipped from California to Florida in August heat. It absolutely needed the extra work. I also ordered a set of custom shop 60s pups also on Labor Day sale price for $139, and I’m very happy with a cost still under $400
Lobster, really enjoy watching your videos. One suggestion I would like you to consider is to spend more time discussing how the bass feels to you qualitatively. I can tell right away when I pick a bass up if it plays dead, if something is off. All these other details like pups, bridges, etc, are fixable. Glad to see you are back, thanks!
Happy to have you back, Lobster! Would definitely like to see a comparison between this and the paranormal. I especially love when you review cheaper basses and that you're very honest about them. I would love to hear your thoughts about the new Harley Bentons MV-4JB and JB-62CC, and a comparison between those two would be great.
I just picked one of these up used from a brick and mortar shop nearby where they service the stuff they buy from people. I’m glad they did because they made it the best playing Jazz Bass in the shop. I’m very lucky that way, because one tort guard later and I have my dream color bass.
I remember the Squier Vinatge Modified jazz basses from the mid-to-late 2000’s. They were about $350 retail back in that time, and were absolutely incredible basses for the price.
A lot of people made the mistake of swapping out the pickups on those earlier models.
The 'Duncan Design' stock pickups were awesome pickups. And now they are hard to find as a used set.
I really want to try one of those out! The fretless ones are legendary with the ebanol board and the duncan pickups
They pop up all over the place here in UK, around 300 quid.amazing basses for the money
@@LowEndLobster Lobster,...the Squier Deluxe active basses were the best in my opinion,....I believe they even used a dummy coil. I have one in black that has that ebinol fingerboard and an Audere-like pre-amp....You should preview one of those if you ever get your hands on one. I got mine for a steal off eBay. The term 'B-stock' is a bass purchaser's friend,.....I've gotten plenty of great deals that way.
I've had Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass V and it was probably the lightest bass I've ever own and played.
Welcome back Lobster!
Thank you Lumberjack!
Good to see you're back to making videos again.
I really appreciate the time and effort you put into breaking down these basses. It was your episode on Guild Starfire I that drove me to get one.
Thank you Caesar!
I got one during that sale because I currently have only Jaguars. Definitely needed some love out of the box. It is an Indian Laurel fingerboard btw.. and VERY DRY, I agree
Thank you! Bah I said the wrong material, thanks for catching that. I'll update the descrption
A few moths back someone asked on Talkbass who had the best bass reviews on RUclips, I tagged and mentioned you saying the only exception was your demo didnt show any pick playing but no else really does either. Its always just over top flashing slapping, but being a pick player I don't get to see many videos that show how the bass would sound the way I use it. A couple of your vids later and you started working in using a pick. Thanks, don't know if you saw my comment and decided to work it in because of that but either way I'm loving these demos being able to hear what the basses sound like with a pick.
Thanks TC! I remember that and yes, your comment and others did prompt me to pick up the pick in subsequent videos (and all of em moving forwards). It was a great suggestion, thank you! It's been a great added dimension to my videos, and gives me new perspective when revisiting other basses that I've already reviewed.
@@LowEndLobster Right on! Loving it.
Excellent review again. All details are given thanks a lot 👍👏🧡
Not bad sounding at all for $250 but would make a good mod bass. I have a J bass clone (not a Squier) I put in Aguilar AG 4J-HC humbuckers, Audere pre-amp, badass style high mass bridge and Hipshot tuners. Now it's an awesome bass. Thanks Lobster!
Thanks Sparks!
Good review. I bought one on sale and it came with a huge ding it since it's packed without much protection. When the replacement came a month later, the string action was like yours. Had to crank the truss rod and really heighten the bridge saddles to get any sort of playable action.
Proaudiostar has open box white for $200.
I ordered one before I came across this video, good thing I like projects.
Now I have to watch the upgrade videos and pick up some hardware.
Hi lobster, nice to see you back, the Harley Benton vintage series at $150.00 was great out of the box, no sharp frets, very very little neck adjustment needed, and sounds just as good as say the sire v5, after a string change to me, cause I also have a V7 vintage, so the tones aren't too far off, and the Harley Benton pups are Hot too
I am a Fender and Squier bass owner over many years. My Squier 50s bass cost me more money to fix mistakes or bad quality in the past. Shame on Fender. They can't put their name on a product and not take responsibility for basic quality.
Thanks Dan! Great comment
@BBQenchilada Hey thanks for the obvious. Its not obvious to a parent of a beginner. Its wrong any way you put it.
Yeah bought a squier late 50s P, and I had to send two instruments back, and the third stayed because I got tired of the situation. Non existent qc from squier nowadays... It's a shot on the foot because we have great budget instruments like Sire or Harley Benton to choose from
I’ve found that they love to put their name on any piece of crap accessory just to make a couple bucks. Like guitar stands and gig bags. They’re a corporate giant that seems to not care about quality control.
Technically, Fender did not put their name on it. They put the Squier name which they purchased onto it. 😂 I don’t blame them for not wanting to call it a Fender. Hahaha. Seriously though, they can do better for $400. For $250, it’s about what I would expect.
Ahh! Your back , I thought maybe would have left you pick in Italia .
I almost thought of this one , its supposed to be a classic vibe but seems to have the heart of a Affinity?
I bought a Squier Classic Vibe 60 P bass in white last week and as far as I can tell it's perfect. Plays really well. Zero sharp frets or fret sprout. Looks great. Sounds great. The 70s Classic Vibe Jazz I tried was all over the place. The neck was like a banana (although this is more a reflection on the shop) and the finishing was awful.
After you worked your magic on it, sounds great!
I bought one of these as well on LB and the QC was horrendous. Quite a few others in the Facebook Squier bass group bought one with differencing results. My strings were so high on the neck, I could have limboed under them. One pattern we did find was pretty much all of us that had really bad QC/set-up were stamped as having the QC done by "BOY", while everyone with decent set-up had a different name. "BOY" must be Fender code for "We're not doing any QC on this one..."
Right now it is sitting in a spare bedroom as a winter project. Fortunately that same month I got a Paranormal Jazz (agree with you on the pick-ups, but overall a well built bass), a used Tagima TW66 ($160), and a Squier Contemporary Jazz bass in Shoreline Gold with a roasted maple neck.
Have you tried the later? Definitely feels like a step up from the previously versions of the Contemporary, which felt a bit cheap and rough around the edges to me. ProAduioStar is currently selling them for $240 (they say used, but they are new - PAS are notorious for buying a high volume of Fender/Squires and then advertising some of them as used to get past that minimum pricing agreement). A great place to pick up a bargain, but you don't get the 55 point set-up or bag of candy. They currently have a lot of CVs for sale between $230-$280.
Lobster, just seen this for sale on reverb:)
The CV series in mid 00s are totally different beasts, as good if not better than mex Fenders
Yup! Hehe, this one is not long for my stable. Just gotta film the Harley Benton MV-4JB Comparo and this puppy is gone! I definitely want to try out some of the older/cooler Squiers.
Honestly mine came like yours maybe even a little worse as it was damaged. A call to fender I got 50 bucks back.
Same as you I did a lot of set up work fixed a bad solder joint and leveled the frets, filed the sharp ends, engaged the trussrod which wasn’t even touched. It now plays and sounds fantastic. BUT if you are not comfortable doing work to this bass when you get it then it should be a hard pass. For me I really like the bass now that it’s been straightened out. Nice review Wil.
Thanks Henry!
Mine required some work to it but I kinda expected that at the price point. After adjusting the truss rod straight, filing & polishing the frets, conditioning the fretboard& setting up bridge I was happy. I got this as a mod platform and have already installed a Fender HiMass bridge and some Ultra Vintage pickups I got on the cheap are on the way. Also changed out the dime pots and made a harness with cts 250k's and a .047uf pio I had sitting around. While this might not be a great first bass for a student it could be a great learning platform for a budding tech.
Hey Butch here, yep, Squier, ugh. I've owned 4 Squier's and they've all had problems. I have 2 remaining but I won't buy another one, and I'm sure I'll sell these. The last one I bought was a Squier Affinity Jazz, the neck was not bad as this one, but the fret ends were a mess, one tuner binds, and very noisy. I shielded the cavities, replaced the pickups, pots, and bridge. So, I did basically what you described in another video, "polished a turd". These parts are coming out and I'm selling it. Tom Brantley Geddy Lee pickups are too nice for this bass, but would be great in a Sire V5!
another great vid .. you ever do gear reviews?
I recently bought a "classic vibe 60s jazz bass" made in Indonesia for about $300 and had no problems other than the 1/8 turn neck adjustment required immediately after I bought it.
Good to see you back, Lobster. If you do a comparison with the Paranormal, consider including the Sire V5. Got mine earlier this summer for $398 + $68 shipping from Thomann. Feels like a $700 bass at least.
Mine is fine. The fret ends need a minor touch, but the neck has just the right relief and the intonation is almost there, right out of the box. Other than putting Fender flats on it, I haven't tweaked anything.
The bass sounds great! With the amount of work you had to put into it, they should only be priced in the $200 range.
Great to see you back Lobster! Yesterday I was listening to a comparison between the Squier Affinity and a Fender Jazz bass and was surprised about the tone quality of the first. So was curious about build quality and quality control of Squier. Maybe the Affinity is even better than this one, otherwise I guess the other options you mention would be wiser.
Glad to see you back and in good health! It's a shame that Squire basses have lost their quality over the years. Nowadays there are so many equally priced new/used basses (even jazz basses) that are so much better. Only squire I've ever owned was an older fretless Jaco-esque jazz, but it came with Seymour Duncan's and was decent for the price at the time. When I want to play a jazz bass I reach for my custom Bacchus (they also have some lower priced jazz basses in their Woodline series that will outdo any Squire) My American made jazz just lives on the stand 😭
Thank you for your very informative videos ❤🎉🎉🎉
Another great review! Thanks Lobster. How do you compare this model against the regular Squire classic vibe 60’s both from tone and quality perspectives?
I own 3 Squier basses and 2 Squier telecaster guitars, all priced from like 450 down to 200 us dollars and they all need work! some of the more expensive ones need more work than some of the cheaper ones, but that’s fender Squier for you.. I don’t mind because I do the work myself and I don’t have to spend two grand on one instrument, so I just deal with it. I’ll evaluate it first and if it’s really bad I’ll just send it back but if it’s just a couple hours of TLC or whatever I’ll just deal with it; it just depends on how I feel about the thing and if I really want it lol
The one I received definitely was not as bad as the one that you got but it did require some fret touch up. Not for fret sprout but I had a couple of high frets I needed to spot level.
I've since upgraded it with a fender kluson high mass bridge as well as a set of the early Duncan designed pickups from the Squire vintage modern jazz basaes. I also added a set of import tuners that are like the Grover tuners and have the adjustable tension probably the same exact tuner as the Grover just without the brand name. One nice thing about those tuners is three of the existing screw holes line up so you don't have to drill another hole unless you want to use all four screws. I'm only using three on mine and they've been fine. The sickness of the neck I find to be a bit chunky but it is still very playable.
I'd often wondered about the price on these when they had them on special only for a limited time and a lot of buyers seem to have had issues here and there so I am wondering if these were instruments that never passed the full QC or if they might have in fact been customer returns that were sent back to Fender. Either way after a little work it's turned out to be a pretty decent bass overall.
I've always been a P bass guy But you also need a jazz this one allows me to cover that without having to shell out an arm and a leg. After the upgrades I've done I'm not ashamed to take this on any stage and play the heck out of it.
Mine required a ton of work as well. Same completely loose truss and rough fret ends.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Benjy. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who got em like this
Man, I have one of the Squire 40th Anniversary P-Basses and it was awesome! Probably the $500 price point makes the difference…
Thanks! I've heard those are really solid. Hoping to check em out soon.
Correct, I have the 40th J-Bass and have no problems with it, worth the $500.
@@LowEndLobster I’m just a little up the road in Portland, Maine. I’ve got a few you haven’t reviewed, Dean 35 inch fretted and Fretless 6 string, Godin A4 Fretless year 2000, Dean Edge Fretless 4 string.
But, yes… the 40th Anniversary I would put on par, or even better than the Mexican Fenders. All I need now are the Les Claypool Pachyderm P-Bass EMGs to keep with the gold theme 😎
I got a five sting CV 70’s jazz bass like a week ago and holy shit I wish I watched this video before I did because it literally has every issue you had with yours. I could’ve probably flown a plane underneath the strings with how high the action was. I still have to sort out two high frets but I got it to a point where it’s playing very nice.
I got one of those, desert dry fingerboard and truss rod issues, but with better frets - no filing needed, luckily. This is a FSR product, so I theorize these were B stock, overstock returns, or were just sitting in the warehouses for a while and Fender just sold them as-is.
I like Squiers to modify and fk with. Two of my best playing basses are modified Squier fk-casters. One of my worst playing basses (unplayable) is also a Squier. Great video, as always!
I did not pull the trigger on one of these, but really thought about it. With these coming direct from Fender, the QC/ set up issues seem to point out the value of having a good retailer that will do their own checks before shipping. Going forward it will be interesting to see how much Fender chooses to sell direct, how much of that will be exclusive FSR's like this, and if they up their QC game on direct sales. This may have been a first shot fired in a new online sales war
Hey Lobster. That seems to be a pretty decent starter bass, if you got one where the qc issues were taken care of. But as a starter with bad qc. Not a good deal with the current other offerings in the same price range. Except the flip-ability to resell it. Thanks for your honesty. It's much appreciated. For me, veteran bass player... It would be a no go purchase. I'd rather invest in a higher quality instrument with a possible better return on investment like a Cort, HB, Sire or Ibanez.
I’m an avid watcher of your videos Lobster...
I’d really like to see you do a video on Michael Kelly basses as they seem to be growing in popularity but very little reviews are out there for the brand...
Thank you! Hoping to check those out at some point
For the cost, it sounds great.
I just bought a "player plus" jazz bass from GC they had a great sale on. Beautiful blue burst top, sounded great but same issues. Lousy fret work at the ends and about 400 yards of space between the strings and fretboard. That was a $700 instrument.
The player series is very good, possibly the best bang for buck basses in the Fender catalogue but the player plus models are not in the same league. Just an excuse to add $150 to the price.
I own 3 Fenders and a 89/90 MIK Squire. Aside from the MIJ Fenders, there are several other brands building superior basses at every price point these days.
Sure, it needed work, but I really like the way the sixties spacing sounds… At $430, it doesn’t make much sense, but that labour day sale would make it a great project bass from my perspective. FYI, you can often fix those tuners by bending the leaf spring under the worm shaft to take up the slack in the gearing.
I thought about getting one of these during the labor day sale, but opted for the 70s Classic Vibe P Bass. It honestly sounds and feels really good. However, I am replacing the pots and pickups, and bridge.
I know this was a limited run but I wonder if the pickups in this are the same as the normal classic vibe 60s Squier jazz basses? Sounds really nice and the tone is making me consider one👌
It is all or nothing with these, had one which was horrible, even the bridge pickup was broken. Got a new one and it’s spot on. Great setup, frets are okay only the fretboard is dry. Glad to see you again great bass reviews.
Thanks Paul!
I am agree with you, pickups sound is great on this bass but the quality is much better on the Paranormal 50's Jazz bass.
Good to see the lobster back 🙂
Ah, Squiers... I've developed a love/hate thing with those ! They do look good, and sound good, generally.
But the QC (and, more often than not, the tunings), can really be godawful, yes. I don't mind if they need a bit of setting up out of the box. But redoing all the frets is absolutely unacceptable in my view.
Normally I'd just call them garbage. But I see their potential and so that's very irritating.
Welcome back Lobster! Thanks for the review. Too bad about the QC despite the price jump from initial sale.
I, along with many others I am sure, look forward to your review of one of Fender’s gems: the US made Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. To begin with, I know that you are not crazy about the vintage style truss rod access (or no access depending how you look at it…). But what about the pick ups? And of course, tone! Is it worth putting up with the huge truss rod inconvenience for presumably better /distinct tone than your regular US made Jazz bass?
Cheers!
What's interesting is Squier's color palette seems to be much wider lately than Fender's.
Looks a nice bass, Mr L. Shame about the QC. How do they expect a newby to play such a guitar when there is no set-up?
Thanks Dave. I absolutely agree. For budget instruments, one should at least expect some level of minor tweaking to get it playing best.... but to have a bass require this much work out of the box would be a major deal breaker for beginners.
Wow. I know its a $500 bass, but the Sire V5 seems like a much nicer bass, assuming you can find one. The necks on the V5 are incredible.
Indeed! I love the V5, and my V5 fretless is one of my favorites. I am hoping to revisit the V5 fretted in the near future.
I'd say Sire V5 line is at least one level higher than Squier CVs.
Greetings from Germany,
Like your channel.
Hey, I bought the black bass,
At fender, the 62 that you rated here.
Greetings from Germany. In the black sale, for 300 €, instead of 450.
Play two jazz basses, a low budget, SX bass and a 78 original Fender Jazz bass.
I couldn't resist. The UPS messenger over the package, which was torn on the corner. I accepted it anyway.
He was not so well packed now, came from the Netherlands and then to me in Germany. Nevertheless, refuse acceptance or not, but felt everything okay.
The bass was very cold, also a cold day.
Brought the boy into the warm, then tested and yes, snore it here and there.
Although I don't know so much now, I've made a few settings and I'm very satisfied
The frets on the sides, very good, string location too.😅
The new strings also always sound ting, don't like new strings .
A first conclusion, sounds very good about my Mark combo, not as good as my old Fender, but I also modified it with baseline pick-ups.
But better than the Sx.
And super light.
But I am highly satisfied, and for the money I have saved, I may exchange a few things again.
Clear purchase recommendation.
I had never heard of this model. Looking it up on the interwebs it appears to be an FSR model that never made it to here in Australia.
Too bad that Squier has been neglecting the quality on their more affordable basses lately. I’ll ALWAYS regret not buying the mid 2000’s Squier Vintage modified jazz bass (with the Duncan designed pickups). I not longer live in the US so finding one of those in the used market is virtually impossible. To give you an idea of how is the market here: It took me a whole year to pay the installment plan for a meh Ibanez jumpstar bass pack.
Great so see you again...great video and again...Shame Fender .it doesn't matter how much you spend in a instrument...it must come playable..that what I think about...thank you lobster 🤗🤗
Top strings got some twine to them at the bottom string even with the high action sure does make a lot of noise
Lobster I would love to see you do a comparison with a vintage HB vs fender's over rated Geddy lee bass
I just got a new B stock CV 50s P bass for $279 on Reverb. I agree with you, this thing was terrible. If I had paid full price I would have sent it back in a heartbeat. Even the fret glue was coming out on the sides of the frets.
Hey Lobster , 🦞 what brand of Drum pedal are you using???
Love you Lobster but this bass really deserved one claw if that! If everything was unfabulous except for the pickups and it needed tons of work to get it off the ground ,the instrument speaks for itself.
Thanks JC! I have an even worse J to review that will put this one into perspective. It's already filmed and coming soon... This Squier, after all the work, is ok. It sounds nice, plays ok, but just needed a LOT more work than I'd expect. The next budget J we'll be reviewing is even worse.... it's so bad lol. It'll be a fun video!
If at all possible I would love to see a comparison of a lakland DJ 5 to the new Cort NJS 5?
I definitely plan on checking out both of those at some point! The DJ5 is a dream tier J bass and those new Corts look pretty neat
i bought this on labor day. it's a good bass
I had to do alot of setting up on my vintage brand P bass like this one, It got better reviews than a squire I think mostly because the frets are phyiscally wider than a squire. After i put some fender custom shop '64 pickups and a high mass bridge it should be pretty nice. I got it lightly used and 1year old for 350$
My labor day special pickup screws were stripped right out of the box. And all the shavings from those ruined phillips screws remain magnetized to the instrument to maybe scratch the finish. You should suggest a few of those 'better offerings' in the budget market. Who makes a better $250 bass and why? thanks
Thanks Ed! Bummer to hear about your experience. We have one of those new Harley Benton MV-4JB basses coming with the Gotoh tuners, Wilkinson bridge, and roasted maple neck. I have high hopes for that.
Hello LB.
Thanks to you, I now own a red P5 from sire.
Best decision ever! Love it!
I will change the bridge for a Albridge as you did.
One question though, what about the Dimarzio dp122cr? Any thought?
Again thank you for your great and very honest content!
Hey David! Awesome, congrats on the bass! I haven't used the Model P, only the Split P, Relentless P, and the Sixties P pickups from DiMarzio. TBH, I really like their pickups and how each one is drastically different from the others. I've found the "Model" types to be a lot more modern sounding and not so much you're typical vintage sound.
@@LowEndLobster sixties P it is!
A very good Review, thanks. No it not my bass , Quality Problem ? Customers should be happy , at all Time !
I had similar issues with the Squier CV 70s (sharp frets etc) when I was looking for a Jazz Bass. I had a Sire V5 here to compare, and while I preferred the Squier pickups (a bit beefier), overall the Sire was so much better in pretty much every other aspect. Just a a tiny bit of neck adjustment, and I had an instrument that I liked to play. The Squier went back.
I’m still thinking about replacing the pickups on the Sire, except I know nothing about how to chose them. So if anyone here has suggestions for a pair of pickups that don’t cost an arm and a leg and give me a bit more beef/growl than the stock Sire’s, go ahead! ;)
Neck and fret issues have plagued Squier for a very long time, it's a shame because that bass does sound really good. I think that if they're going to cut corners somewhere it should be in the electronics and get the construction and qc right. Doesn't matter how good an instrument sounds if it is not comfortable to play, the electronics are easy to replace and would be well worth it in a bass that is solid and playable.
Actually sounds pretty darn good for the price.
Well... Harley benton just introduced a couple new jazz bass series, if only we could have a way to do a comparison...😉😁
I may have one on the way already ;)
Regarding the noise when you take your hand off the strings, is that something that can be remedied by shielding, or is it just a byproduct of cheap pickups?
I just got a Jackson JS1M that does the same thing. It just has a single spilt coil pickup.
Great question Ryan. It can be remedied with shielding (and grounding the poles on the pickups too). Also making sure your shield is connected to ground will help.
How hard do you think it would be to convert a cheap jazz bass to have pbass neck pups like a jaguar or mustang
I would say it'd be pretty easy if you have access to a router or someone with know-how. There's plenty of J pickguards with P pickup routes, you'd just need to route the pickup cavity
I see a Carter Vintage t-shirt. :-)
What is this color called?
The tone sounds great - too bad it wasn't setup at the factory - it was built and shipped ... price was great though - they are way more expensive now.
I wonder if they sold them this cheap because they were examples that didn't pass QC and were just collecting dust at some warehouse.
Would Hipshot ultralite's fit on this bass?
Yes, the 1/2". The imports are a definite fit and may just need some tape or a bushing. USA's probably won't require the tape or bushing.
It just occurred to me that when we click the 'Like' your hand turn back to 'normal' however; in order to rate basses your hand turns back to a claw. So how do you, umm, play bass amongst other things between videos? You seem to be getting along just fine, I'm not worried, just concerned.
Excuse me if I'm prying.
What happens is... uhh.. I need to.. umm.. 'push' the claw back out. It's incredibly painful, but necessary... XD
I got the same bass. Yep, the setup was atrocious. Action was high, truss rod not remotely adjusted correctly. I adjusted a bit, but on the 14th fret the notes still fret out. It's unplayable there. The pickups do sound pretty nice, so that's a good point. Had I paid full price, I'd be pissed. But for 50% off, it wasn't a bad deal. It needs work right out of the box. And mine still needs a fret job.
Kinda crappy that Fender sold these set up as-is. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth for Fender.
For 250 this is a steal, issues or not! At that price I'd grab one as a backup axe if nothing else.
why would you not buy a sire V5R instead?
This was reviewed at the 'launch'/labor day special price of $250, much less than a V5. At full price I would absolutely get a V5 or V5R
Looks like my ultra
It looks good and sounds good but too bad it has such poor quality control. I think it's hard to beat Harley Benton for inexpensive Basses... I see you recovered...
Thanks BP! I agree. I have one of those new Gotoh jazz basses en route. I have recovered! This was filmed before my trip, but I am back and feeling a lot better :)
I'm having trouble on choosing my first bass... Vintage Icon V4 (relic) or Squire Classic Vibe 60s. Pls, if anyone can help me I need some advice.
Try a Jay Turser vintage jazz bass,....they have the best neck ever,.....and the electronics are very decent. Harley Benton jazz basses are very nice also.
if you can get a hold of Baum basses thatd be pretty bad ass 👀👀👀
they look incredible and sound decent but a deep dive into quality and versatility would be much appreciated!
13:31
This has been my experience with fenders and squiers from the last couple years. Terrible qc and questionable assembly. I played a $1k guitar and it felt worse than my bronco.
Sounds like this bass skipped some production departments on it's way to the packaging room......terrible QC,.....no wonder they were giving them away around Labor Day.
Can hear the buzz off the pickups - not for me!
Indian laurel, not pau ferro
Fingerboard is Indian laurel
Thanks! Updated the description. Whoops!
Imagine this being your first bass. With that setup you want to give up playing right away. Such a shame Squier putting these out like this.
, I'm pretty sure the Harley Benton jazz bass there's a better bassfor less money
Way to harsh of a review. I have one, I setup all my basses after shipping anywhere and my frets were fantastic. I love mine and take it and my number one bass to all of my gigs leaving my 2500 plus basses at home. QC on yours was terrible that’s it. That is better than any MIM I’ve ever played. I think they knew who they were sending it too. ;) I paid 439. USD